Artist Gets Charged For Tagging Gustave Courbet’s ‘Origin Of The World’
Photo 239889745 © Pascal Deloche | Dreamstime.com
With art often speaking louder than words, French-Luxembourgish artist Deborah de Robertis has taken a stand, or rather, a spray can—albeit at a cost. In May, she sprayed the hashtag “#MeToo” on five pieces of art, including the infamous 19th-century painting L’Origine du Monde (The Origin of the World) by Gustave Courbet. This audacious act took place while the artwork, known for its explicit depiction in Western art of the 19th century, was on display at the Centre Pompidou in Metz, having been loaned from the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.
On May 29, 2024, de Robertis found herself facing charges for intentional damage to cultural assets. But that’s not all. She was also accused of theft, following the confiscation of an embroidery piece by French artist Annette Messager. De Robertis didn’t deny her actions. Instead, she stated that she had orchestrated the act, executed by two others, as part of a performance she titled You Don’t Separate the Woman from the Artist. Their response was intended to amplify the voices of women calling out male sexual aggression in film and other cultural sectors.
"MeToo" : le célèbre tableau "L'Origine du monde" de Gustave Courbet a été tagué aujourd'hui au Centre Pompidou-Metz, avec le mot "MeToo" écrit à la peinture rouge sur la vitre. La performeuse Deborah De Robertis revendique une "action". (Radio France) pic.twitter.com/FdMjSR4PaN
— Infos Françaises (@InfosFrancaises) May 6, 2024
In a public letter, de Robertis called out six men in the art world, labeling them as “predators” and “censors.” While she isn’t currently in detention, she is under judicial control and has been prohibited from attending exhibitions or visiting the Moselle region. The three women involved in the charges have also been instructed not to communicate with each other in anticipation of a potential trial.
L’Origine du Monde itself has a long history of controversy. Painted in 1866, the work depicts a reclining nude woman with her genitals prominently displayed. The painting’s frank sexuality challenged the artistic norms of the time and continues to spark discussions about female representation in art. De Robertis’ decision to target this particular artwork was deliberate. She aimed to highlight the objectification of women throughout art history and draw a parallel between the power dynamics at play in 19th-century art circles and the realities of sexual misconduct exposed by the #MeToo movement.
Interestingly, this isn’t de Robertis’ first artistic brush with the Courbet masterpiece. Back in 2014, she exposed her genitals at the Musée d’Orsay, right in front of the very same painting.
